4,150 criminal cases related to children were registered in Punjab between January and June 2025.
RAWALPINDI:
The Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), a civil society organization, has released its fact sheet on violence against children in Punjab for the first half of 2025, revealing that an average of 23 cases of violence against children are reported every day across the province.
The fact sheet is based on district-level police data obtained through the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act, 2013.
According to SSDO analysis, 4,150 criminal cases related to children were registered in Punjab between January and June 2025. Of these, 3,989 cases were contested, while 3,791 remain under trial.
Punjab’s reporting mechanisms have improved over the past year, resulting in increased registration of cases. SSDO noted that conviction rates remain critically low and require immediate attention.
Despite the volume and severity of the crimes, only 12 convictions were recorded during the six-month period.
Sexual abuse remains one of the most worrying categories, with 717 cases registered, 658 contested and 581 still under trial. In the category there were 12 acquittals and 8 withdrawals, but no convictions.
Child begging was the most frequently reported crime, with 2,693 cases recorded across the province. Of them, 2,674 were challenged and 2,669 remain under trial, but none resulted in a conviction.
Other forms of exploitation also pose serious threats. Child trafficking recorded 332 cases, resulting in 4 convictions, while 182 child labor cases resulted in 8 convictions, comparatively highest results among categories, but still alarmingly low in relation to the number of crimes.
Meanwhile, 87 cases of physical abuse and 27 cases of kidnapping resulted in no convictions.
Child marriage remains grossly under-reported, with only 12 cases recorded in the first six months of 2025 and no convictions or acquittals, indicating entrenched cultural and procedural barriers obstructing reporting.
District-level data identifies Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Sialkot as major hotspots of child abuse, exploitation and trafficking. Lahore recorded the highest number of cases of sexual abuse, child begging and trafficking, while Nankana Sahib, Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin also showed high trafficking trends.
